URIAH JEWETT 



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AND THE SEA SERPENT 



OF-^ 



LAKE MEMPHEMAUOO 



FROM NOTES LEFT BY THE LATE GEORGE C. MERRILL 

WHO WAS PURSER ON THE MOUNTAIN MAID IN 

URIAH'S TIME. 



CITY OF NEWPORT, VERMONT 
1917 



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URIAH JEWETT 

AND THE SEA SERPENT 
LAKE MEMPHEMAGOG 



FROM NOTES LEFT BY THE LATE GEORGE C. MERRILL 

WHO WAS PURSER ON THE MOUNTAIN MAID IN 

URIAH'S TIME. 



CITY OF NEWPORT, VERMONT 
1917 



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DEDICATION. 



This volume is most cordially dedi- 
cated to THE DUKE OF CON- 
NAUGHT who visited the Eastern 
Townships and the United States in 
1869 and 1870; and caused His Poor 
Mother some unpleasant memories 
by the ardency of his youth, and 
who left the imprints of his visit on 
the shores of Lake Memphremagog. 



PREFACE. 

Uriah Jewett and his Sea Serpent 
Story of Lake Memphremagog so 
famous sixty years ago has now 
almost become ledgendary and many 
do not believe that Uriah Jewett was 
ever a living personage on the shores 
of that beautiful lake. But the note 
book of George C. Merrill who was 
purser on the steamer Mountain Maid 
at one time, will show that Uriah 
Jewett was not only made of human 
flesh and blood, but was a poet of 
the Province of Quebec. As to the 
sea serpent we shall leave the matter 
to the reader and our artist who is 
represented to us, as a man of great 
note, research and ability. He comes 



to us very highly recommended. He 
was a member ''of the 3d Ambulance 
Company of the New York National 
Guard." When on duty on the Mexi- 
can border in 19 16 and 19 17 he was 
"Art Editor of the Rio Grand 
Rattler ^^* which especially qualified 
him as the artist best fitted to prop- 
erly delineate this serpent of Lake 
Memphremagog. 

We learn that Uriah Jewett was 
from New Hampshire, and was an 
old-time schoolmaster in that state. 
There in those days they estimated 
a man's qualifications for teaching 
school by his ability to wield a beech 



""A magazine issued by the army on a traveling 
press. 



withe. The town superintendent of 
schools always examined the candi- 
dates for teachers in deeck-letics. 



SKETCH OF URIAH JEWETT OF 
LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG FROM 
THE MANUSCRIPT NOTE-BOOK 
OF GEORGE C. MERRILL 



Uriah Jewett hailed from New 
Hampshire about the middle of the 
nineteenth century. He settled on 
the eastern shore of Lake Memphre- 
mago^, about one and one-half miles 
north of the summer residence of Sir 
Hugh Allen. There is a point of 
land extending westward into the 
lake from his farm which is known 
and called, to this day, as Jewett's 
Point. 

Jewett was a farmer; never mar- 
ried ; his appearance was rather rus- 



tic, and his clothes showed a want of 
female care; there were no creases 
in his pants. He was a very honest 
and upright man. 

Jewett had a great dislike of J. B. 
Hoyt who kept the Mountain House 
at the foot of Owl's Head, and bought 
poultry and other farm productions 
of him and never paid him. After 
Hoyt's departure from the Lake, 
Jewett commemorated the event in a 
poetical effusion which probably will 
survive as long as the English lan- 
guage is spoken on the shores of the 
lake, and long after Canada has be- 
come a free and independent nation, 
with a constitutional government, 
with dying memories of lords and 
lordships. Hoyt hailed from New 

10 



Hampshire. Capt. George W. Fogg 
married his sister. Hoyt and Capt. 
Fogg, built the first mountain house 
in the bay at the foot of Owl's Head 
in 1850. It was burnt in 1854. An- 
other mountain house much larger 
was built near the site of the old one 
in 1855, by J. B. Hoyt and Miles E. 
Knowlton. This one changed own- 
ers several times, and had several 
additions built on to it. It was burnt 
on October 11, 1899. 

In September, 1856 Hoyt left Lake 
Memphremagog in the night. His 
coat and hat, and boat were found 
floating near the shore the next day. 
It was supposed that he was drowned ; 
the lake was dragged three weeks 
or more for the body, by Capt. Fogg ; 

11 



and three hundred residents of the 
vicinity assisted in searching for the 
body. The body was not discovered. 
A coffin was got in readiness, but 
was never used for Hoyt ; and it was 
stored in an old ash house on the 
Point at Georgeville for a long time. 
For several years after this event the 
coffin was used for the storage of 
beans. About eight years afterwards 
John Diamond was drowned off Black 
Point and when his body was found 
the beans were taken out and the 
body was put in their place and was 
buried. 

Hoyt turned up in Minnesota 
several years afterwards. He enlisted 
in a Minnesota regiment early in the 
Rebellion and was promoted for his 

12 



bravery from one engagement to an- 
other, till he was appointed colonel 
of his regiment. He was a very- 
dark skined man and could be easily 
mistaken for an Indian. 

Jewett was a crank on the sea ser- 
pent ; he was watching the shores of 
the lake all the time for its trails in 
the sand. He imagined he saw where 
he had eaten some fish and a turtle 
on the beach. He set many cul- 
heaghs along the shore of the lake 
to capture the animal, but never suc- 
ceeded in catching him, however he 
had found his culheaghs sprung in the 
morning and the bait gone. He baited 
those culheaghs with the bodies of 
lambs, calves, pigs and poultry. 

13 



The sea serpent was never traced 
further south than Cove island. 

Jewett had a theory that the ser- 
pent came to Lake Memphremagog 
through a subterranean channel un- 
der Owl's Head, from the Atlantic 
ocean and could never find its way 
back to the ocean through this chan- 
nel. 



14 



JEWETT'S SATIRE ON HOYT'S 
DEPARTURE FROM OWL'S HEAD 
MOUNTAIN HOUSE, TOWNSHIP 
OF POTTON, CANADA EAST. 



For fame and dear freedom I left my native home, 
I went straight to Canada, Owl's head for to roam. 

The scenery is romantic, picturesque and fine ; 
The people in Canada were all very kind. 

They trusted me with money, two thousand or more, 
I thanked them very kindly and laid it up in store. 

I bought a yoke of oxen of Jewett by name; 

It was well contrived, a pusillanamous game; 

Eighty-five dollars was the face of the note, 

I quickly robbed his pocket and away I did tote; 

The farmers of the townships were all very good, 

They trusted with poultry and everything for food. 

They trusted me for mutton and both butter and 

cheese. 
My house filled with company as full as you please. 
We all dined together; it was on a fair day, 
They paid me their money and by steam went away. 

15 



The thoughts of that money it ran through mjr head, 
I laid a deep scheme that they might call me dead. 

By the side of Lake Magog I fired the big gun, 
1 bid them good-night and away I did run. 

I had a fine dive, I caught the serpent by the tail, 
My speed was like lightning or the sword fish in the 

gale. 
My passage was under subteranean cliffs. 
And I popped up in Minnesota with money enough. 

Captain Fogg with his men, they were very kind. 

They grappled the lake but no Hoyt could they find. 

They laid up my coffin in a very safe place. 

By the side of Lake Magog and in an old ash-house. 

Now my coffin is awaiting my speedy return, 

St. Anthony's Falls is where I sojourn. 

So I must be quick and dexterous in my way. 

For old Cuty stand a calling and I must obey. 

The Indians invite me to stay here with them. 

My complexion well favors both the squaws and 

their men. 
So here with the Indians I still will remain. 
And live in Minnesota till old Cuty calls again. 

N. B.— When old Cuty calls again J. B. H, has got 
to heave to. (Signed) U. Jewett. 

16 



The above poem was composed by 
Uriah Jewett in 1856011 thecharacter, 
escape and supposed drowning of J. 
B. Hoyt of Owl's Head fame. Jewett 
had suffered financially by Hoyt's 
unsuccessful transactions in business 
and he took this way to defame him. 

Among Mr. Merrill's papers on an 
envelope containing this effusion was 
written the following memorandum: 
' ' Composed by Uriah J e wett of George- 
ville in 1856, for Geo. S. Ayer, who 
was in St, Anthony Falls, Minn., at 
that time and who was swindled and 
drove out of Canada by George Brown, 
architect of Montreal, and Alex. Mol- 
son of Lake Memphremagog, P. Q., 
1866." 



17 



MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH 

ROYAL FAMILY VISITS IN THE 

CANADAS AND THE UNITED 

STATES. 



According to Mr. Merrill's note 
book, Prince Arthur, now Duke of 
Connaught, visited the Canadas and 
the United States in 1869 and 1870. 
When he visited the valley of Mem- 
phremagog lake, he was royally en- 
tertained several days at the sum- 
mer residence of Sir Hugh Allen, 
located on the eastern shore. He 
occasionally came up the lake on 
Sir Hugh's yacht with the family 
and stopped at the Memphremagog 
House. 

18 



The Hon. John G. Foster, United 
States Consul General at Ottawa, 
Canada, on March 12, 191 7, writes: 
"that His Royal Highness, Prince 
Arthur came to Canada late in the 
Autumn of 1869, and returned to 
England about August, 1870. It is 
probable that he visited Lake Mem- 
phremagog some time in June or 
July of 1870, but the exact date I 
am unable to give." 

In 1872 when Uriah Jewett was 
following the deeply furrowed trails 
of the sea serpent in the shifting 
sands of the Memphremagog beaches, 
the news swiftly spread through the 
Eastern Townships that a Prince of 
the English Royal Family, The 
Duke of OwVs Head^ was that morn- 

19 



ing born in the densely tangled for- 
ests of Canada. This stain upon the 
escutchion of the Royal Household 
sorely grieved the young Prince's 
grandmother and she deplored the 
uncontrolled ardency of her son's 
youthful indescretion. But little at- 
tention was paid to this child of the 
Canadian forest by the members of 
the Royal Family and they did not 
speak of this stain upon their escut- 
chion among their neighbors. The 
Duke of Owl's Head lived to be 
nearly fifty years of age. His death 
occurred only a few years ago and 
was somewhat tragic and obscure, 
but no one seemed to care to investi- 
gate the cause of it, or the circum- 
stances connected therewith. 

20 



Soon after the birth of this young 
DUKE OF OWL'S HEAD, the 
Order of Knighthood was conferred 
upon his maternal grandfather by 
Queen Victoria. 



According to Mr. Merrill's Note 
Book^ '* Victoria was a very nice girl 
and married a young German. His 
privileges were somewhat curtailed : 
he was not allowed to meddle with 
British politics, but was imported 
and kept wholly for breeding pur- 
poses. Her girls were nicely brought 
up. They were taught to be indus- 
trious and frugal and to keep good 
company. But she had little con- 
trol over her boys. They were 
brought up in idleness and luxury, 

21 



and were continually getting into 
mischief." 



PLATE TWO shows the steamer 
Mountain Maid as it first appeared 
on Lake Memphremagog. This plate 
was made from a photograph in the 
possession of Mrs. John M. Cun- 
ningham the adopted daughter of 
Captain George W. Fogg, who kindly 
loaned it to the author for insertion 
in this work. 



22 



^rice List of Historical and Genealogical Works, for Sale 
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Genealogy of Richard Currier of Sal- 
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How Neshobe Came Up Into The 
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The New, New England Primer, By a 
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Illustrated History of the Log Bridge 
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Uriah Jewett and the Sea Serpent 
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Illustrated History of the Memphre- 
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